Ancient Greece Introduction and Geography

Essential Question: What title could be used to best define Ancient Greece? Inequality: the social classes of ancient Greece Advancement: the government Regionalism: the city states Nationalism: ethnocentrism, the Persian Wars

Geography How did geography define Ancient Greek civilization? Parts of Culture affected by Geography: Food Sources Transportation Agriculture Trading Mountains and Valleys: Mountains divide the peninsula into isolated valleys Scattered rocky islands City-States were isolated from each other due to the geography Little Fertile land for farming Need for trade The Seas: Used for travel and expansion Popular location for trade

Original Greeks Earliest civilization on island of Crete Absorbed a lot from Egypt and Mesopotamia

Minoan Civilization Name created by British Height 1750 BC-1500 BC Success based on trade Acquire ideas and technology What we learned from their paintings: Value the Sea Religion/gods Women may have had many rights They vanish in 1400 BC Natural Disaster/invasion?

Mycenaeans Indo-European people 1st Greek speaking people Conquered Greek Mainland, eventually Crete Dominated Aegean world 1400 BC-1200 BC Sea traders Learned to write from Minoans Lived in separate city-states Each ruled by a warrior king

Trojan War (1250 BC) Economic conflict between Mycenae and Troy Troy controlled waterways that connected the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea 10 years of fighting Greeks seize and burn Troy Question of actuality?

End of Mycenaens Fall to sea raiders Dorian’s invade from the North 1100 BC-800 BC: decline of civilization Forgot many skills, such as writing

Homer: Iliad and Odyssey Epic poems are written by more than just Homer Around 750 BC Gives us hints about life during the declining period Tradition: Homer was a blind poet, passed down orally Both portray Greek values: honor, courage, eloquence

Iliad Trojan War Story of the Greek hero Achilles

Odyssey Odysseus struggles to return home to his wife after the Trojan War

For Centuries after Dorian Invasion: Small, isolated villages No writing Little contact with the outside world.